DAILY DEVOTIONS
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"Honoring God in the Morning"
Reading from: Numbers 32:1-42
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Key Verse:
“Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?” –Numbers 32:7
Moses repeatedly saw the tragic results that followed whenever Israel became overwhelmed with discouragement. More than once, they turned their backs on God’s promises and sought to return to the security of Egyptian slavery rather than go forward, in obedient faith, and experience the richness and fullness of God’s promises. Moses knew he had to do everything possible to stop the poison of discouragement from infecting Israel with the hopelessness of unbelief.
We too wage this battle with discouragement in some way, each and every day. Like ancient Israel standing on the brink of a rich and abundant Promised Land, we, as believers, stand before the “exceedingly great and precious promises” of God (2 Peter 1:4). Israel’s struggle to actually experience God’s promises is in many ways a real picture of our own struggle today. Our own promised land awaits us, yet discouragements in the barren wilderness we find ourselves in can make the promises of God seem like mockery. Discouragement sets in, leaving us conceding in defeat to unbelief. We are left feeling that God’s promises are a vain hope; something for others, but not for us.
Whether the voices of discouragement come from within our heads or the mouths of “well-meaning” friends, we must fight unbelief with great intensity. Let the thoughts of discouraging unbelief be cast into the fire. May we be left with a faith of gold purified in the crucible of the wilderness testings.
Bible Reading
Numbers 32:1-42
The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan
1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the Lord defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.”
6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? 7 Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? 8 Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 So the Lord’s anger was aroused on that day, and He swore an oath, saying, 11 ‘Surely none of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and above, shall see the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they have not wholly followed Me, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’ 13 So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone. 14 And look! You have risen in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinful men, to increase still more the fierce anger of the Lord against Israel. 15 For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave them in the wilderness, and you will destroy all these people.”
16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.”
20 Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, 21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.”
25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to battle, just as my lord says.”
28 So Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel. 29 And Moses said to them: “If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle before the Lord, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession. 30 But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.”
31 Then the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: “As the Lord has said to your servants, so we will do. 32 We will cross over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, but the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us on this side of the Jordan.”
33 So Moses gave to the children of Gad, to the children of Reuben, and to half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the surrounding country. 34 And the children of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer, 35 Atroth and Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran, fortified cities, and folds for sheep. 37 And the children of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kirjathaim, 38 Nebo and Baal Meon (their names being changed) and Shibmah; and they gave other names to the cities which they built.
39 And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh, and he dwelt in it. 41 Also Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its small towns, and called them Havoth Jair. 42 Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.
Verse-by-Verse Study Notes
Numbers 32
The Tribes Settling East of the Jordan (Verses 1-42)
v. 1 The Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad - From Abraham came Isaac. From Isaac came Jacob, who was also called Israel (Gen. 32:28). Jacob had 12 sons from which the 12 tribes of Israel were formed (Gen. 31:53, Ex. 4:5, Acts 7:8). Gad and Reuben were two of Jacob’s sons. The phrase “children of Reuben and Gad” refers to the two tribes of Israel descended from Reuben and from Gad.
The Land of Jazer and the Land of Gilead - This was fertile, quality land east of the Jordan, but it was outside of the Promised Land.
v. 3 Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon - These were the cities and towns the Israelites had conquered on the east side of Jordan by the hand of the Lord.
v. 7 Discourage the Heart - Moses reasoned that if some of the tribes chose not to continue on across the Jordan in conquest of the Promised Land that it would discourage the rest of the tribes from continuing on.
v. 8 Kadesh Barnea - This city is in the extreme south of the Promised Land. It was the place where the children of Israel became discouraged and turned back to wander in the wilderness 40 years earlier. In verses 8 through 13, Moses recounts the story of how just 10 men discouraged the entire nation of Israel from taking the Promised Land. This discouragement caused great mistrust in God’s promises and brought forth His wrath as the consequence of unbelief (Deut. 1:34).
v. 9 The Valley of Eshcol - Escol means “cluster.” This place got its name from the huge cluster of grapes brought back by the 12 spies Moses sent to spy out the land 40 years earlier (Num 13:17, 23, 24).
v. 10 The Lord’s anger - The scriptures speak of the anger of the Lord more than 240 times. While the Lord does indeed become angry, His anger is not like man’s anger—God is angry at sin (Num. 32:13, Zep. 2:3, Rom 1:18). The Hebrew word for anger here is “aph”, which implies the flaring of the nostrils. God’s anger incites His wrath, which must be satisfied through a punishing judgment. Blood must be shed as payment for sin (Lev. 17:11), and that’s why the Old Testament system of animal sacrifice was so vital. This is also why Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is so vital for us today (Matt. 26:28, Rom. 6:23, Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14).
He Swore an Oath - God’s promises are not only for blessing; the Lord makes “oaths” or “promises” for either blessing or cursing. Sometimes He promises blessings, forgiveness, or life. At other times He promises judgment, wrath, and punishment. These promises are never totally isolated from our actions and choices, but rather His promises are closely connected to our acts of faith or disbelief (Deut. 11:26-28; 1 Chr. 28:9; 2 Chr. 15:2; Rom. 11:22; Heb. 3:12-15, 10:26, 38).
v. 17 Brought Them to Their Place - The tribes of Ruben and Gad sought to negotiate a deal with Moses that would allow them to leave their families and livestock in the land of Gilead. They offered to send their fighting men across the Jordan to fight alongside their brethren in conquest of the Promised Land until the land was completely conquered. When the conquest was complete they would return to the east of Jordan and keep that land as their inheritance.
v. 23 Your Sin will Find You Out - Moses agreed to the proposal and warned them that if they did not keep their commitment they will be sinning against the Lord and would pay serious consequences.
v. 33 Half the Tribe of Manasseh - After the terms of this agreement were agreed upon, half of the tribe of Manasseh decided to join the tribes of Gad and Reuben in this contract.
The Son of Joseph - Manasseh was one of the two sons of Joseph (Gen. 41:51; 46:20; 48:1, 5).
